For University students and faculty, along with residents around the area, The Chocolate Lounge is here in Long Branch, New Jersey to take care of all of our sudden chocolate cravings.And they are bringing out all the stops; all the chocolate-y stops.

The Chocolate Lounge is located on 81 Brighton Avenue in Long Branch, right across the way from Scala’s Pizzeria. Debra and Tom Ocasio, owners of The Chocolate Lounge, opened up shop in July of last year. They originally had a shop for seven years in Allentown, New Jersey that sat only 20 people. But now, they are seating 50 people who would love to make room for some dessert.

Olivia Caurso, sophomore, was shocked when she first found out that The Chocolate Lounge even existed.

“I was so surprised that we even had something like this so close to campus,” Caruso said.

When you first enter the lounge you’ll see a lovely decorated retail shop with a clear and shiny display window of all of their chocolate candies begging, just begging to be eaten. When you look straight on into the rest of the shop, there is a lounge/restaurant area in the back with perfect intimate lighting that can be inviting for a couple out on a date or a group of friends on their night out.

The Chocolate Lounge is not like any other chocolate shop in town. What makes The Chocolate Lounge different from any other specialty chocolate shop is that part of the lounge is for retail sale. You can pick up all the tiny and scrumptious chocolate confections at the front of the store and with such a variety it might be a little overwhelming.

It is understandable because each chocolate treat looks marvelous.

Half of their chocolate candies are milk chocolate and the other half are dark chocolate. And anything else that goes in-between them will be sure to satisfy your chocolate taste buds.

As for the other half of the store, it is an actual restaurant where people can sit, order dessert off the menu and chitchat. The menu is filled with mouth-watering desserts ranging from tiramisu to their number one selling milk or dark chocolate fondue. You can choose seven items to go with your fondue ranging from marshmallows to bite sized pieces of cheesecake. With other desserts such as Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Pudding, Chocolate Lava, Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse, and Dream Ice Cream, it is quite hard to make a decision.

It’s okay; you can wipe your mouth now. No one is looking.

And on the retail side of the store, the number one sellers are anything that contains peanut butter, raspberries or chocolate covered pretzels.

For those cold and chilly winter days, they have an array of hot beverages to choose from. Rounding out your day with some hot chocolate and some chocolate candy doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

Sophomore Courtney Carr has admitted to being a super fan of The Chocolate Lounge.

“It’s nice and quaint, and the servers are always super nice,” said Carr.

The Chocolate Lounge is also available to host parties and events. There will be a single origin chocolate tasting sometime in May or June at The Chocolate Lounge, so keep your eyes peeled for details. They also personalize favors and platters for parties.

Debra Ocasio enjoys the never-ending creativity that comes with running The Chocolate Lounge. It is what she enjoys the most.

“I like the creativity of it, it changes with the seasons and the customers are always pleasant,” said Debra Ocasio.

She also mentioned that they are going to offer “Monmouth Mondays” once it gets warmer outside. It will be 10 percent off for students and faculty.

The Chocolate Lounge is also on Facebook, so be sure to like their page and spread the word about this quaint and delicious chocolate shop. Once you have your first chocolate ride, you will keep coming back for more.

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